Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer, together with Congressmen Chris Gibson, Maurice Hinchey, Paul Tonko and Bill Owens, today introduced the Post-Irene Emergency Farm Aid Act, legislation to provide the resources that farmers across New York State need to help recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene. The legislation would authorize $10 million to support the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and the Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) that provide emergency services and resources for agricultural communities following natural disasters. Read more

From Bonacic:
Today, the DEC has released the revised Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement. In addition to the environmental mitigation portions of the SGEIS which were released on July 1, the newly released document is now complete, with additions focused on socioeconomic, community character, visual, noise and transportation impacts of hydraulic fracturing. Read more

Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today released the following statement in support of extending the public comment period for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS), which was released today. Read more

As I write this column, I hear the hum of portable generators outside the window. I have power, but neighbors down the road are out and have been since Irene swept through the area on August 28. Tropical-storm-force winds blew down trees and caused widespread power outages throughout the area, and heavy rains caused flooding and washouts on roads. Several instances of residential flooding were reported, and many farm fields were flooded. Read more

Superintendent John J. Donahue announced today that the Delaware River corridor and all access points within the boundaries of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area are closed due to rising water levels. Heavy rainfall from the remnants Tropical Storm Lee, combined with already heightened river levels from Hurricane Irene, has led to the latest closure. The National Weather Service has issued flood watches and warnings for this stretch of the river. Read more

HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has sued Consol Energy for civil damages resulting from a devastating 2009 pollution incident in which discharges from a Consol coal mine entered Dunkard Creek, contributing to a massive fish kill spanning nearly 30 miles of stream in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The lawsuits seek compensatory damages for the lost aquatic life and lost fishing opportunities for Pennsylvania anglers and punitive damages to deter future pollution. Read more

ALBANY, NY — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation opened a more than 90-day public comment period on its revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. In addition, the agency will issue its proposed regulations governing high-volume hydraulic fracturing in early October. Read more